It’s always interesting to see when a brand shifts gears. Mad Catz did it a few years ago, pledging that they were going to turn over a new leaf, and work harder to make better quality products. They delivered on it too.

CaseMast has done the same thing. They’ve got a sexy new logo and some elegant new styling. Pledging to create more upscale products, they’re catering to a premium audience.

LifeProof cases are pretty famous for being almost everything-proof. They’re military-spec approved from impact, cold, heat, water, dirt, and so on. That’s why it was so cool to see the Fre case for iPhone 5 put to the test.

Waterproof smartphone cases are a big trend at this year’s CES, and a couple of the standouts that I came across are from Otterbox and Griffin. The cases are focused on the iPhone, and they each offer ruggedized bodies that can not only keep the water out, but also make sure you don’t scratch or crack anything on the phone, too.

byTeddyK
on ‎01-11-201311:49 AM - last edited on ‎01-16-201302:53 PM by JorgeM

Like SMS Audio in the post below, we’ve got another cosmetic change for a pair of headphones — Sennheiser’s Momentum. Future Shop carries the original brown model that came out last year, but Sennheiser will be releasing a black model with a red cable within a few months, I was told. There’s nothing different under the hood, so the sound will be the same, and the $399.99 price tag will likely be, too.

byTeddyK
on ‎01-10-201308:32 PM - last edited on ‎01-11-201311:24 AM by Samantha_B

At Belkin’s booth today, I came across a nice surprise. It looks like the company will be announcing a partnership with LEGO to make cases for the iPhone, iPod Touch and select Android devices. Details are still being worked out, but a summer launch in Canada has been all but confirmed. Just how many cases and for which exact phones is unknown at this time, but the iPhone 5 looks like it’s a lock. It’s even possible to connect LEGO pieces to the cases, so this could be a more functional case than most others. Stay tuned for news on this later into the spring.

I'm an iPhone guy now, but I have a rich history of BlackBerry smartphones and messengers behind me. Ever since my first 950 on the old Mobitex network I've been a fan of BB devices. That's why it was such an exciting morning for me today, getting a chance to go hands on with BB 10 for the very fIrst time.

Android owners are invited to kick back and game on the big screen right from their phone with MHL technology. The MHL booth at CES is equipped with an MHL cable and an MHL enabled display, letting Android owners plug in and take their phone for a spin in a big way.

byTeddyK
on ‎01-09-201305:31 PM - last edited on ‎01-16-201302:56 PM by JorgeM

Got a quick look today at the Navigator on-ear headphones from Skullcandy, and this sunglasses-inspired set is a light and stylish design that should be coming to Canada before the spring after having been out in the U.S. since the fall. They’re going for $99 south of the border, so expect to see a similar price point up here in the Great White North.

byTeddyK
on ‎01-09-201305:18 PM - last edited on ‎01-10-201309:52 AM by Samantha_B

If you have Pioneer’s AppRadio 2 head unit installed in your car — and you own an iPhone 5 or latest iPod Touch — then you may have been suffering from a lack of functionality because of the move from the 30-pin connector to the new Lightning one Apple developed. Pioneer is finally coming out with a fix for this and you can expect to see it in a matter of weeks.

byTeddyK
on ‎01-09-201304:44 PM - last edited on ‎01-10-201309:52 AM by Samantha_B

Olloclip has a new lens for the iPhone 5 that is already made and could come to Future Shop really soon. I’ve already had one for a few weeks, and saw it again here at CES. The issue I’ve always had with using it is that my iPhone 5 is in a case, and I’m not a fan of taking it out each time I want to shoot something. Looks like Olloclip heard all the gripes about that, too.